High levels of cholesteryl esters, progesterone and estradiol in the testis of aging male Fischer 344 rats: feminizing Leydig cell tumors

The levels and fatty acid composition of cholesteryl esters (CEs), and the levels of steroid hormones in the testis of aging Fischer 344 (F344) rats were studied in comparison with those of 6-month-old rats without Leydig cell tumors (controls). The total lipid content in the testis increased as Leydig cell tumors developed: in 23-month-old rats, the content increased to five times higher than that of the controls. The CE level reached about 300 times higher than that of the controls and comprised 57.5% of the total lipid of the testis. The fatty acid composition of the CEs in the tumor compared to the normal tissue from the controls was characterized by a marked increase in 22:4 (n-6) and a decrease in 22:5 (n-6), a characteristic acid in rat testis lipids. Testicular progesterone levels considerably increased with the development of tumors (23-month-old rats, 2870 ng/wet wt; controls, 7 ng/g wet wt). Also, levels of estradiol showed striking increments (23-month-old rats, 2205 pg/g wet wt; controls, 153 pg/g wet wt). On the other hand, testosterone levels decreased (23-month-old rats, 13 ng/g wet wt; controls, 50 ng/g wet wt). These results suggest that Leydig cell tumors in aging F344 rats resemble the ovary tissue of rats in the levels and fatty acid composition of the CEs, and in the levels of steroid hormones. This is supported by the observation that the two kinds of cells found in the tumor tissue resemble cells of the corpus luteum and granulosa cells of the follicles, respectively, in the ovary of rats. In conclusion, the study shows that Leydig cell tumors in aging male F344 rats have a tendency towards feminization.     

Synchronization of excitatory neurons with strongly heterogeneous phase responses

In many real-world oscillator systems, the phase response curves are highly heterogeneous. However, the dynamics of heterogeneous oscillator networks has not been seriously addressed. We propose a theoretical framework to analyze such a system by dealing explicitly with the heterogeneous phase response curves. We develop a method to solve the self-consistent equations for order parameters by using formal complex-valued phase variables, and apply our theory to networks of in vitro cortical neurons. We find a novel state transition that is not observed in previous oscillator network models.     

Radiation-induced grafting of perfluorinated vinyl ether into fluorinated polymer films

We report herein the first successful grafting of perfluorinated vinyl ether monomer into base polymer films by simultaneous radiation method. 2-Bromotetrafluoroethyl trifluorovinyl ether (BrTFF) could be grafted into poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) films by γ-rays irradiation at room temperature. The grafting yield increased linearly with an increase in the dose up to 1400 kGy. The required dose for a satisfactory grafting yield, such as 20%, was as high as ca. 400 kGy probably due to low polymerization reactivity of fluorinated monomers. However, the solvent and catalyst had no positive influence for improving the grafting yield. FTIR spectra and SEM-EDS testified that BrTFF was successfully grafted into ETFE films homogeneously in the perpendicular direction. The thermal analysis of the grafted films further indicated no phase separation between poly(BrTFF) grafts and ETFE films, probably owing to high compatibility of the fluorinated grafts and base polymers.     

Facile and convenient method of deuterium gas generation using a Pd/C-catalyzed H2-D2 exchange reaction and its application to synthesis of deuterium-labeled compounds

The Pd/C-catalyzed H(2)-D(2) exchange reaction using a H(2)-D(2)O combination provided a general, efficient and environmentally friendly route for the preparation of deuterium gas (D(2)). H(2) sealed in a reaction flask was converted into nearly pure D(2), which could be used for the Pd/C-catalyzed one-pot reductive deuteration of various reducible functionalities and the chemoselective one-pot deuterogenation of olefin and acetylene. Additionally, we established the capturing method of the generated D(2) in a balloon, which was successfully applied to the Pd/C-catalyzed reductive mono-N-alkylation of a primary amine using nitrile as the alkylating reagent.     

甲基丙烯酸甲酯的原子转移自由基悬浮聚合

以 1 苯基氯乙烷为引发剂 ,氯化亚铜为催化剂 ,2 ,2 联吡啶为配体 ,外加搅拌 ,氮气保护下进行了甲基丙烯酸甲酯 (MMA)在 80℃下的原子转移悬浮聚合 .结果表明 ,聚合反应符合对单体浓度为一级的动力学关系 .经计算聚合体系的增长自由基浓度为 5 .74× 10 - 8mol L .聚合物分子量随转化率呈线性增加 ,分子量分布较窄 ,Mw Mn 在 1.37～ 1.40之间 .还以AIBN为引发剂 ,在三氯化铁和三苯基膦存在下进行了MMA的反向原子转移本体和悬浮聚合研究 .结果证明本体聚合具有好的可控特征 ,分子量随转化率呈线性增长 ,分子量分布指数在 1.2 7～ 1.31之间 .聚合反应速率较快 ,聚合体系中的增长自由基浓度较高 ,为 1.6 4× 10 - 7mol L .而在此催化体系下的悬浮聚合则完全失去了活性特征     

PREPARATION OF STARCH SUCCINATE WITH INTERMEDIATE DS BY AQUEOUS SLURRY REACTION

The succinylation of cornstarch by slurry reaction has been studied using sodium hydroxide as catalyst.Several reaction parameters affecting the succinylation were investigated including the concentration of starch in water,the ratio of succinic anhydride to starch,the reaction time and the reaction temperature,The favorable conditions for an intermediate degree of substitution(DS) and reasonably high reaction efficiency(RE) are pH 8.5-9.0,50% starch by weight to water.succinic anhydride to starch 1/1(w/w),reaction time 4h,reaction temperature 30℃ .Under these conditions,the DS of 0.45 and RE of 28% were achieved.The addition of an adequate amount of crosslinking agent imparted starch succinate water absorbency.     

Preparation and absorption spectrum studies of aromatic and alicyclic poly(amide acid) ammonium salts in water and DMF and in films

A series of ammonium salts of poly(amide acid)s (PAS) were prepared from various poly(amide acid)s (PAA) with tertiary amines. The solubility of poly(amide acid) ammonium salts prepared from PAA(PMDA/ODA) in water is related to the ion concentration of tertiary amines. In order to elucidate the influence of the chemical structures of poly(amide acid)s and poly(amide acid) ammonium salts on their absorption spectra, pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 3,3′,4,4 ′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), and 3,3′,4,4 ′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) were chosen to react with p-phenylenediamine (PDA) and (4,4′-diaminodicyclohexyl)methane (DCHM) to give three kinds of aromatic PAAs and three kinds of alicyclic PAAs. The corresponding PASs were prepared by the reaction of PAAs with triethanolamine (TEA). Their ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption spectra were investigated compared to those of model compounds. A transparent film without absorption above 320 nm was obtained for PAS(PMDA/DCHM). The difference in absorption spectra of PAS(PMDA/PDA) from that of PAS(PMDA/DCHM) can be related to the existence of intra- and intermolecular charge transfer (CT) for PAS(PMDA/PDA). The absorption spectra of PASs with PDA in films are red shifted compared to those of corresponding PAAs in films, while the absorption spectra of PASs in water are blue shifted compared to those of corresponding PAAs in DMF. No differences in the absorption spectra of PAAs and PASs were found in DMF/H₂O (9/1) mixed solvent. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1329–1340, 1998     

Basicity‐dependent properties of anion conducting membranes consisting of iminium cations for alkaline fuel cells

To design novel anion‐conducting polymer electrolyte membranes (AEMs), this paper proposes a basicity index (BI) that is defined by the ion‐exchange ratios of AEMs from the OH^? to Cl^? forms in a neutral aqueous solution as a parameter for Arrhenius basicity (dissociation constant). Using a radiation‐induced graft polymerization technique, three iminium cations are introduced into fluorinated polymer films. The BI of the iminium‐containing AEMs is less than that of a conventional ammonium‐type AEM. The conductivity and water uptake correlate positively with the BI, whereas the thermal and chemical stabilities correlate negatively with the BI. The dependence on the BI stems from the stabilization of the iminium hydroxide in proportion to the basicity of the original diaza‐compounds, resulting in a decrease in conductivity and water uptake with keeping higher thermal and chemical stabilities. Notably, ion conductivity is sufficient and water uptake is less in AEMs with a medium BI. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 503–510